Win Report: Ask for less, get (28%) more

In the next four minutes, we’ll show you how matching calls to action (CTAs) to the visitor’s state of mind increased transactions by 28% for All About Learning Press—and why almost every website should run a similar test.

All About Learning Press helps children master reading, spelling, and math using multisensory, Orton‑Gillingham-based programs. Its bite‑sized lessons (around 20 minutes a day) are loved around the world by homeschoolers, busy parents, and teachers.

Research: Buttons, commitment, and the learning journey

Although customers adored using the products, our research showed that buying them wasn’t nearly so enjoyable.

In fact, visitors to the site were often under stress. When we spoke to parents (and customers), a high proportion had children who were struggling, and many had been disappointed by other products that hadn’t worked. They said things like:

“I’m confused about what to order.”

“I have found that 90% (at least) of everything I am being sold is of little use to me and my daughter… I am hesitant to buy anything ever.”

“I’m figuring out the right program fit and working with a specific budget.”

Like the children, the parents were on a learning journey. They were often early in their research, struggling to weigh long‑term decisions for their children. And yet, the website often asked for more commitment than visitors were ready to give.

For example, button copy included:

• Start the Program Today!
• Buy Now
• Checkout

High‑commitment CTAs like these often act like psychological brakes: they demand a decision before visitors feel ready, suppressing clicks and sales.

How could we better match All About Learning Press’s CTAs to their visitors’ state of mind?

The original funnel (or control)

Here’s a selection of CTAs from one of the site’s funnels.

Because the primary CTAs (buttons) had been developed at different times, site visitors saw:

• High-commitment CTAs: On early pages, buttons nudged visitors straight into product selection and cart, even when heatmaps and user tests suggested they were still trying to answer questions like “What level is right?”
• Inconsistent styling: Buttons on different pages didn’t look the same. Some were higher‑contrast than others. Some competed with secondary actions.

It’s worth noting that the site wasn’t “broken.” It was already performing well, but these micro‑frictions made the journey feel heavier than necessary.

The tested funnel (or variation)

Here’s our variation for the same CTAs:

For the variation, our goal was to:

1. Make the primary CTAs visually consistent and unmistakable.
   Across the key templates in the funnel we:
   1. Unified the primary button style (color, shape, and size).
   2. Ensured high contrast against the background so the “next step” was always obvious.
   3. Used a single, consistent visual style for primary actions to build recognition and reduce decision fatigue.
2. Lower the perceived commitment at each step—and match it to the page’s purpose.
   Rather than treating every click as if it were the final purchase decision, we asked: “What’s the natural next step here?” and wrote the CTAs accordingly. In practice, that meant:
   1. On top-of-funnel pages, the buttons focused on exploration rather than purchase—nudging visitors to view programs and learn how the courses work.
   2. On mid‑funnel pages, CTAs encouraged visitors to continue through the process one step at a time rather than “jumping off a cliff” into an all‑or‑nothing commitment.
   3. Only at checkout did the CTAs ask for a full commitment, when visitors already had the information and reassurance they needed.

The goal wasn’t to hide the sale or delay it unnecessarily. It was to move the moment of commitment to the right place in the journey, where it felt natural rather than premature.

Result: A 28% increase in transactions

During the test, we observed a 28% increase in transactions. We also saw a 9.7% increase in visits to the product page, confirming that more people were moving deeper into the funnel rather than dropping off early.

In other words, softening commitment didn’t “weaken” the funnel—quite the opposite. More people clicked on the earlier CTAs, more people reached the persuasive product pages, and more people ultimately bought.

The pattern: Match CTA commitment to the step

Buttons are often the most visible and explicit trigger for the next step in a funnel. The design helps users notice them; the copy tells users what will happen next, how much commitment is required, and how “risky” the click feels.

A simple “commitment ladder” helps illustrate the slope:

As we can see, each step up the ladder increases a visitor’s perceived risk.

Principles that prove themselves time and time again

• Copy matters more than color
  Button color only becomes conversion‑critical when it’s hard to see or clashes with the brand. The bigger lever is what the button promises will happen next.
• Every page has a purpose
  Category pages should invite exploration. Product pages should help visitors evaluate fit. Cart pages should feel like a review step, not an instant purchase. Checkout is where a high‑commitment CTA finally makes sense.
• Lowering commitment doesn’t remove friction—it moves it
  Changing a CTA from “Buy now” to “See how it works” doesn’t delete the buying decision. It moves that decision to a later page where you have more time and space to educate, reassure, and provide proof.
• Micro‑commitments feel safer
  Visitors want to feel in control, not pressured. Smaller, clearly labelled steps make the experience feel more intuitive and less risky—especially for high‑consideration products like education.

The All About Learning Press win is another datapoint confirming a universal CRO pattern:

When button copy and design reflect the visitor’s true readiness—and invite just one sensible next step—movement and sales tend to rise together.

Examples from previous Win Reports

• Win Report: A year’s worth of PPC leads in just three weeks
  On a PPC landing page, visitors were searching “What is SFG20?”—high‑level intent, not “book a demo” intent. By adding a lower‑commitment CTA (a bundled resource pack download) alongside the demo request, we created a gentler first step. The result? A year’s worth of demo requests in just three weeks, plus a new nurture funnel of resource‑pack leads.
• Win Report: How four bullets increased subscriptions by 39%
  Customers liked the idea of subscriptions but worried about being “locked in.” By clarifying (and then simplifying) subscription benefit bullets—customers could pause, skip, or cancel anytime—we reduced perceived commitment and increased subscription uptake. A later test improved the result even further, compounding the overall improvement to roughly 70% more subscriptions.

What next?

As usual, we added this test to our proprietary Wins Database, then looked for ways to apply its lessons to other parts of All About Learning Press’s business and to other clients.

If you want us to grow your profits—quickly and efficiently—check if you qualify for a free one‑on‑one strategy session with one of our CRO consultants.

We’ll only work with you if we believe we can get amazing results together. Our success has come entirely from positive word of mouth, and we plan to keep it that way.

Thanks to All About Learning Press for letting us share these insights (and for being such a great team to work with).

How much did you like this article?

What’s your goal today?

1. Hire us to grow your company

We’ve generated hundreds of millions for our clients, using our unique CRE Methodology™. To discover how we can help grow your business:

• Read our case studies, client success stories, and video testimonials.
• Learn about us, and our unique values, beliefs and quirks.
• Visit our “Services” page to see the process by which we assess whether we’re a good fit for each other.
• Schedule your FREE website strategy session with one of our renowned experts.

Schedule your FREE strategy session

2. Learn how to do conversion

Download a free copy of our Amazon #1 best-selling book, Making Websites Win, recommended by Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Moz, Econsultancy, and many more industry leaders. You’ll also be subscribed to our email newsletter and notified whenever we publish new articles or have something interesting to share.

Browse hundreds of articles, containing an amazing number of useful tools and techniques. Many readers tell us they have doubled their sales by following the advice in these articles.

Download a free copy of our best-selling book

3. Join our team

If you want to join our team—or discover why our team members love working with us—then see our “Careers” page.

4. Contact us

We help businesses worldwide, so get in touch!

© 2025 Conversion Rate Experts Limited. All rights reserved.